Two separate fires have rocked Play and Learn childcare centres across Sydney in less than a week, prompting serious concerns for community safety and early education environments.
Setting children up for a confident and joyful start to school begins long before the first bell. This guide brings together evidence-informed strategies, play-based activities, and partnership ideas to help preschoolers develop the skills, independence, and emotional resilience they need for their big leap into school.
This past week has challenged our sector—and stretched our hearts. But in the wake of uncertainty, we find courage. We come together. And we lead with purpose. This article is dedicated to helping educators process, reflect, and rise stronger.
When a qualification is cancelled by the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), it sets off a chain of consequences for educators, employers, and the broader vocational education sector. Here's a breakdown of what happens. The following article provides information on What Triggers Cancellation?, Students Working With Cancelled Qualification. Notification Process, Consequences for Students, FAQs for Cancelled VET Qualifications and more.
As CCTV becomes a more common feature in Australian early learning centres, especially in response to safeguarding concerns, a critical question emerges: Are these systems truly protecting children—or exposing them to new risks?
As early childhood services increasingly consider CCTV to bolster child safety and meet compliance expectations, the discussion around surveillance is expanding beyond regulation into ethics, dignity, and children's rights. At the heart of this conversation lies one critical question: When does safeguarding begin to encroach on the very privacy it aims to protect?
As education ministers across Australia weigh a proposal to mandate CCTV monitoring in childcare centres where child safety concerns have been previously raised, the early learning community finds itself at a pivotal crossroads.
In a landmark move towards safeguarding vulnerable children, the Queensland Government has unveiled mandatory annual safety training for all childcare workers—a first-of-its-kind initiative in Australia.
A suspicious fire erupted at a childcare centre on Sydney’s North Shore early Friday morning, raising urgent concerns about security within early learning environments.
In the heart of every early learning center, educators hold a uniquely powerful role—not just as teachers, but as advocates for children's safety and well-being. When unsafe, inappropriate, or unethical practices arise, educators are often the first to witness them. But too often, they feel powerless to act. It's time to shift that narrative.
In response to deeply troubling allegations against a former educator, Affinity Education has announced sweeping safeguarding reforms across its 250+ centres. These include fast-tracked CCTV installation, parental choice for nappy/toileting care, centre layout reviews to remove blind spots, and mandatory lockboxes for staff phones during work hours.
On 8 July 2025, the Little Shining Stars Early Learning Centre in Klemzig, Adelaide, became the epicenter of a national outcry following revelations that staff had photographed children’s injuries and nappy rash using centre-owned devices. These images were stored in ways deemed “highly inappropriate” by South Australia's Education Standards Board (ESB), prompting a swift emergency investigation.
